Municipality of Anchorage pursues efficiency with formal initiative

Published: March 16, 2011

Request for Proposal solicits professional services to consolidate, combine services

ANCHORAGE- The Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) this week will issue a formalRequest for Proposals (RFP) for recommendations about how the City can functionmore efficiently. The "Efficiency RFP," as it's known, seeks recommendations fromprofessional management organizations to improve the operations and maintenance ofvarious city functions by becoming more efficient and less expensive.

Mayor Sullivan has made finding efficiencies a priority, and the RFP process is designedto identify real action steps. "There are many areas ripe for closer examination," saidSullivan. "For example, would it be more cost effective to consolidate some of the city'sMaintenance and Operations functions? What are best practices and are we deployingthese practices? Are we leveraging our considerable resources (people, process,technology, funding) in the best manner possible? These are questions to which weneed answers, and that the public demands."

Specifically, the RFP asks that the following MOA functions be evaluated:

· Facility and Fleet Maintenance: This function manages and maintains the City'sgeneral government facilities, vehicles, and equipment to support the needs of theCity's work force, community residents, and visitors.

-Fleet maintenance: The Fleet Maintenance Section is responsible for acquiring,managing, maintaining, and disposing of more than 1,100 vehicles and equipmentunits, including police vehicles and heavy equipment for road maintenance. Most ofthe vehicles fall into two categories: light duty (under 1 ton) and heavy duty. Existingmaintenance shops provide the entire range of maintenance services, frompreventive to complete rebuild. Fleet maintenance staffing includes 36 techniciansand service people.

-Fleet maintenance for Fire Department - In the Fire Department, there arethirteen engine companies, eight Mobile Intensive Care Units, five truck companies,and five tankers collectively serving as the department's front line emergencymedical, rescue, and fire suppression response capability. AFD has its ownmaintenance shop that maintains all its Anchorage, Girdwood, and Chugiakapparatus and vehicles.

-Fleet for Public Transportation - The Public Transportation Department has 53fixed route buses (People Mover buses) that are maintained by a staff of 32maintenance workers. AnchorRides and vanpool vehicles are operated andmaintained by private contractors.

· Street Maintenance: The Street Maintenance Section provides equipment andstaffing for year-round preservation and maintenance of 1,281 lane miles of municipalroads and approximately 200 miles of sidewalks and trails. Operations includepavement surface maintenance, pedestrian facility maintenance, street sweeping,maintenance of storm drain facilities, and snow plowing and removal.· Grounds Maintenance: Grounds Maintenance is a function that is provided across

the city by various departments. Grounds maintenance includes landscaping, grassmowing, sidewalk maintenance, street sweeping, etc.

· Park Maintenance: The Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department manages10,946 acres (223 parks) of municipal parkland including neighborhood, community,special use, and natural resource parks. The City also has over 250 miles of trails(135 miles paved), 110 athletic fields, 5 pools, 11 recreation centers, and 82playgrounds. The strategic goal has been to improve maintenance and stewardshipof these assets.

· Project Management and Engineering (Public Works Department): The ProjectManagement and Engineering division provides scoping, design, engineering, andproject management services for road, safety, drainage, and parks and trailsprojects. The division is also responsible for updating and publishing design criteria,as well as Anchorage Standard Specifications for municipal infrastructure.

After conducting an assessment, the selected consultant will determine which area hasthe largest opportunity for savings and efficiency improvements. The consultant will thenprioritize the functions based on opportunity and present the findings to the mayor.Implementation will likely occur in a phased manner.

Depending on the recommendations, the consultant may be engaged to assist withimplementation, training, and transition services.

The RFP is due to be issued by the end of the week (March 18, 2011) and a winnerselected later in the spring.
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